Prim & Proper
by Akira.Cullen
Summary: Not all princesses have had worry-free childhoods. Can this one get over hers, move on, and possibly find... love? Soon to come Peach/Marth and bits of Samus/Ike. Pairings may change in the future... Is that a messed-up love triangle I smell? Reviews!
1. Chapter 1

**Prim & Proper**

* * *

Shattered.

That was what I was.

Out of order.

I was a broken girl. How could anyone, no matter how kind and warm-hearted, want something as damaged as myself?

...

Worthless too, wasn't I? Just like he had said to me, with those cruel, twisted eyes of his. Those unkind words echoed through my head…

"_Don't you dare look at me with your filthy eyes, you piece of dirt! You're worthless!" He slashed me across the face. It stung, a lot._

"…_hardly fit to stand in my presence, let alone this Earth!" He advanced towards my crumpled figure on the floor. Unconsciously, my hand reached up and touched my stinging cheek. Red. My fingers. They were drenched in red._

_I cringed. He had caught some of my hair, and was yanking on it. Tears came out of my eyes at the pain; I struggled not to cry out._

_He began to drag me back by the roots of my hair. "Stand up, ungrateful wretch. You're going to the cellar for the rest of the day."_

_My eyes went wide. The cellar._

_No._

_Several long strands of blond hair were torn out of my head. He kicked my stomach as I struggled to break free. I felt the air whoosh out of my body. It was aching with pain, excruciating pain._

_Malicious eyes scorched through my own; watching my blue eyes swirl faster and faster with fear, his teeth glistened dangerously in a warped grin. His mouth opened and words poured out, but I couldn't hear them, the fear ringing in my ears overshadowing all other sounds._

_The devil. He was the devil, I swear it._

"…_-other!" He began to laugh wickedly, the light making his teeth sharpen into fangs._

"_Weak, stupid, worthless piece of dirt!" His laughter buzzed in my ears as he dragged me away. "You're just like your mother!"_

* * *

I jolted back into the real world.

Silence wrapped itself around my body; the library was abandoned, with the exception of me. It made sense, of course, everyone would be rushing to the dinner table, eager not to miss out on the best portions of food.

I sighed loudly, (a very un-princess-like thing to do, but who would hear me?). This was my only alone-time of the day; why I spend it reminiscing horrid memories, I don't know.

I stroked my cheek, the very same which had been slapped and cut open countless times, many years back. I was glad my skin wasn't easy to bruise or scar, otherwise, it wouldn't be porcelain white, it probably would've represented something closer to a mottled black and blue.

With my mind roaming to other, more _unpleasant_ places, I got up from the red plush chair I had been resting in and surveyed the bookshelves restlessly. A boring, thick, grey volume caught my eye and I began flicking through it aimlessly.

My stomach growled; I patted it gently, recalling the numerous times it had been kicked.

The day he died, many grieving visitors had offered me handkerchiefs. I remember accepting them gratefully, then turning away and watching them flutter into the garbage bin, unused. I hadn't shed a tear at that funeral.

My mother had been silent through the entire process, stone-faced expression all throughout the burial.

She died two weeks later. People say it was from heartbreak.

It's a funny thing though; no one noticed the knife sticking out of her chest.

After her death, pressure was suddenly put on me to rule the kingdom with the same effectiveness as my parents. I was only nine when I came into power, but I led my land perhaps a hundred times more effectively than my parents had before me. The people had loved me instantly, heartbroken with the tragedy of such an innocent princess being left alone in the world at such a young age.

Regardless of my rather young age, I toiled vigorously. For 10 years since the day of my inauguration at the age of nine, I worked to my very limits, increasing my kingdom's wealth, health, and happiness.

And now… here I was, princess of possibly the most wealthiest kingdom in all the land. My citizens were happy and streets were clean and free of poverty. Everyone was happy; every single individual under my rule was living a good life. I made sure of it.

Shelving the thick, grey tome, something sparkling out in the hallway caught my eye. Upon further inspection, it was a gleaming sword, laying encased in an intricate glass case. The inscription near it read: _'Roy of Pharae's flaming sword, Sword of Seals.'_ It wasn't the real one though, just a replica of a sword once used by a great fighter.

I tapped the glass encasing idly. He had always held an amount of affection for me, that Roy. Always teasing me one day, then showering me in dozens of pink roses the next. People often mistook that we were a pair… except…

I've never felt anything out of the ordinary for Roy. He was just another boy in my life, nothing more, nothing less. He was quite charming nonetheless, but…I guess he wasn't the one for me.

Was there even a one for me? Perhaps not… No one would want a princess with such a damaged past as mine. Princesses were supposed to be perfect after all. Perfectly prim, proper and prime for anything; including all aspects of pain.

_Isn't that right, dad?_

I turned away from the sword and looked at the accessories left behind from Pichu. That cute little mouse Pokémon had always been fond of those big blue goggles.

Beside Pichu's accessories (which were also encased) was an indestructible glass box holding what is supposed to be a strand of Mewtwo's DNA. Taking a step backwards, I took a moment and reminisced these three fighters. They had not made an appearance in this year's tourney.

Leaving the display cases behind, I decided to go back to the library and find a book to read; though, I doubted I'd find anything worth interest, having read more than half of the library's contents already. Not only did I teach myself to speak Hylian, I could now better understand the Pokémon, as well as Kirby and Yoshi.

_Perhaps it's time for Japanese, Marth's native language…_

My musings, as well as the silence which had so comfortably enveloped me, were scattered by a sudden, squeaky voice coming from behind me.

"P-p-princess…?" enquired a high, timid voice I presumed belonged to that dreadfully shy boy, Lucas.

Spinning around, I gave the trembling boy a warm smile. "Yes, Lucas, my dear. What may I do for you?"

He visibly began to relax and even offered me a shy smile in return. "Well, actually… you see… it's, um… dinnertime… A-and S-Sa-Samus says she doesn't want you to be late for this one…"

I pursed my lips. Samus didn't usually care if I was late or early for anything, so long as I showed up. For her to actually worry meant something was up. Something she needed my assistance with.

A secret smile coloured my face. I think I knew. "Tell her I'll be there in a couple minutes, is that alright?" I beamed at the blond boy.

Lucas blushed and kicked the ground ruefully. "O-okay," he said to the ground. In a last minute decision, he decided to look up at me and smile. "B-but don't worry! Dinner doesn't for another ten minutes!" He gave me one last nervous smile and ran off, waving to me as he went.

A trace of admiration lit up in my body for Lucas; it was quite brave of him to trek this place all by himself. This mansion was an enormous place after all; built by what I am assured are the finest architects in the world, I made sure the mansion would be built large enough so that, if anyone was to wander about, the chances of bumping into another fighter would be slim. There were well over 400 rooms, and 100 bathrooms, more than plenty for 36 fighters to live in together.

Yet it still seemed to surprise me that even this mansion's expanse was no where near the size of my castle back at home. Hm.

I looked at a nearby grandfather clock, dinner was nearing. I sighed.

Time to make my entrance.

* * *

**A/N:** I've always sort of held this belief that not all princess's parents were the perfect, stereotypical bearded father and kind-eyed mother as many people think they are in fairytales.  
What if they were abusive, suicidal perfectionists? And so, my story was born.

Even though I'm sort of proud of it, I'm sorry the first chapter isn't so interesting (I reread it, and realized there was no "action").  
I hope you'll stay with me though, and continue reading!

If you haven't already figured out who the protagonist is (but I'm sure you have), I'd rather not reveal it, so, I can't really talk about this chapter too much xD

Anyway, if there are any errors in my grammar or anything else (I think I switched verb tenses...), please don't hesitate to give me some criticism! But, I'd rather not receive flames, thank you kindly...  
As always, I would deeply appreciate it if you wrote me a review~

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope I'll see you again! :)

**Disclaimer (can't forget this, I suppose): Is this really necessary? I already don't own anything~**


	2. An Eventful AfterDinner Cleanup

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own anything~**

_Hey there! Sorry for the long wait! I am... horrible at updating constantly...  
Thank you for the review, 8xGot it memorizedx8! It really cheered me up! _

_Hopefully, I can appease you with a rather long chapter~ (And hopefully, I can catch more readers, too!)_

_Here you go! Enjoy!_

* * *

"Peach, pass the salt, please?"

"Oh Peach, can you pass that bowl…. Yeah, that one...thanks!"

"Peach, over here…"

"Gravy please, Peach?"

"Pi pika, pika chu!"

"Hey Peach! Gimme that spoon you have there!"

"Peach, I'd like some more—"

"WAHHHHHHH! PRINCESSSS PEEEEACH!! NANA STOLE MY ICE CREAM—!!"

"—Oh hush, you big ol' cry baby!"

"—PEACH! I WANT MORE CHICKEN!"

"Hey! Watch your language, stupid! You gotta call her princess! An' make sure you say it wif respect!"

"Don't call me stupid, stupid!"

"—why I oughta'—!"

My forehead scrunched up and I rubbed my temples. The children sure knew how to cause a racket at dinner, supervising them was going to be tough. I grimaced as I heard a crash and a _BANG_ resonate from the dining room adjacent to us. _Looks like even the older fighters can cause a ruckus… _

"Don't worry Popo," I handed a brunette boy in a blue parka a small bowl of chocolate ice cream, "there's plenty of ice cream for you to eat." I turned to his sister who was equally dressed, but in a light pink. "Please Nana, next time, just take your own bowl."

Nana, flushing with embarrassment at being scolded in front of Toon Link, mumbled something about never doing it again. I patted her head gently and gave her a reassuring smile. Some kind of love was in the air.

Turning around and giving Ness a plate full of chicken, I stopped Toon Link from mauling him with his short sword. "Now, now, little Linky, you mustn't bring out your weapons on the table…"

"But! But! He wasn't being polite!" Toon Link protested. He then took out his boomerang and I hassled to block it from hitting Ness. Meanwhile, Jigglypuff had dumped spaghetti all over Pikachu, Kirby was trying to eat the table, and Mr. Game & Watch was dancing off to the side, his little bell in hand.

I let out an exhale of frustration and pinched the bridge of my nose. _Just calm down Peach… just calm down…You mustn't show your temper to the children…just… count to five… _

_One… _

"Ha ha ha! Eat this!" Toon Link exclaimed, throwing a slice of cheesecake into Ness' face.

_Two… _

"Hey! That's no fair!" Ness grabbed the nearest food item he could find —Popo's ice cream— and chucked it at his assaulter.

_Three… _

"WAHHHH!! PRINCESS PEACH! MY ICE CREAM'S GONE!!"

_Four…_

"Shut up, Popo! Just get another bowl!"

_Fi—_

"Need some help, Princess Peach?" asked the angel boy, Pit, who had decided to fly out of his seat and right into my face. He cheerfully looked up at me. "I can provide some assistance!" He proceeded to flex his skinny, non-existent biceps.

Do celestial beings not know of a valuable thing called _personal space?_ Pit was much too close to me for comfort. I gently pushed the angel back a few steps, so he wasn't quite so close. "No… no thank you… Pit…" I murmured, fatigue forcing my words to come out at a sluggish pace.

But Pit couldn't seem to take the hint and proceeded to force me into a hug of death (goodness, could this kid squeeze hard). He began to whine like a little child. "Awww! But I _really_ wanna help you Princess Peach! Really, really, really, really, _REALLY_!" He began to stomp his feet in impatience.

Honestly, how could an angel, who's probably been in existence since the beginning of time, be so… _childish_? Acting out of irritation, I kicked him off me, sending the poor angel flying into the wall behind him.

Tears welled into his eyes. I rushed towards him, knowing I had accidently kicked a little _too_ hard. He began to cry right there on the floor, in front of all the young fighters. I struggled to console him, telling him I was sorry. Whipping out a pink Band-Aid, I placed it on the side of his forehead.

"And now, to seal it with a kiss." Gently, I kissed his forehead.

Pit, most likely out of embarrassment I think, began to blush. I smiled at him, got up and faced the rest of the children; they had all gone deathly quiet as the drama had enfolded and were staring at me as if I were Ganondorf—who had just been caught having a tea party with his stuffed animals—in a tutu.

I blinked. "I said I was sorry."

Almost immediately, the silence was replaced with the normal chaos; food being thrown around, Popo crying… It seemed that as long as you were sorry, everything would turn out okay.

I smiled. How simplistic.

I glanced back at Pit, worried he was seriously hurt. Thankfully, he had walked back to his seat in quite the normal fashion. His face was still red though, and as I smiled at him, he seemed to turn an even darker shade and looked away. Well, that was odd. Perhaps was it wrong to treat him so kindly in front of his friends? I mean, I suppose even angel boys wanted to be the"man" in those kinds of situations…

Prepubescent angel boys these days, you never know what's on their minds…

Oh well…

"Oh yah, Princess Peach, I forgot to ask you," Popo cleared his throat, "um, why are you here instead of Samus?"

_Samus. _I gritted my teeth at the name.

"Yeah," cut in Nana, "I thought it was her turn to be the babysitter."

I smoothed my blond hair, retaining my cool composure. "Yes, it was her turn actually; but you see, she asked me to do a favour for her…"

"Rearwy?" choked Ness through a mouthful of chicken, consequently spitting some out on Toon Link ("Say it! Don't spray it!" he shouted angrily). Gulping it down, Ness continued, "That's really nice of you, Princess Peach!"

I smiled lightly and brushed invisible dust off my dress. "I suppose so..."

"Oh, so that's why she asked you not to be late, right Miss Peach?" Lucas piped in.

Noticing that there was hardly any food left on the table, I added some carrots to his plate. "Yes, that's right, my dear."

The rest of the children began to groan as I added various veggies to their plates. Regardless, they all managed to wipe the table clean.

As Pikachu finished off the last crumbs of cheesecake, I clapped my hands together and put on a serious face. "Alright, my fellow fighters, I believe it's time to do the undoable!" I paused for effect. "Let's clean up the dinner table!" At this, they all mumbled a range of far-fetched excuses and darted from the table. I watched them breeze by me. "At least wash your hands!" I shouted.

I looked back at the mess that was the table and the floor around it. Goodness, cleaning up was going to be tough. No wonder Samus asked me to do this.

I started with the china plates, neatly stacking them in columns of ten and carrying them to the kitchen sink. My stomach growled as I carried out this task. Because the children had taken so long in eating, I had missed dinner. And there was no way for me to grab a bite while supervising; it was way too chaotic for that. That meant only leftovers for me to eat.

Or, I could make something. I smiled to myself. _A simple cake should do…_

"Looks like someone's having fun," came a cocky voice from the doorway. "Smiling like the daft school girl you are."

I recognized that conceited voice instantly. "Have you come all this way just to antagonize me," I twirled around to face the man who caused me displeasure. "Hm, Ike?"

He grinned roguishly. "As always, your ability to recognize my voice is flattering." His grin widened. "I'm glad we know each other so_… intimately_." He came up to me and took my hand, bowing over it. "Milady." To my surprise, he planted a soft kiss on the back of it.

I was almost touched by this unlikely gesture from a usually arrogant mercenary, until I looked into his eyes and saw a rather overconfident smirk on his face. Then I swatted my hand away.

"Honestly, Ike, could you be a bit more civilized?" I asked him unenthusiastically.

"Oh, so is kissing a royal's hand _not _civilized?" Ike asked, feigning innocence.

"I didn't say that—"

"Then," Ike stepped closer towards me. "What is civilized?" His two fingers came up under my chin and tipped my head up to meet his eyes.

I recoiled from his touch. "A civil person…" I said calmly, removing his fingers from under my chin. "…is one who does not toy with the minds of young women." With a placid smile on my face, I slowly bent his two fingers backwards.

Speechless, he watched me bend his fingers backwards.

...Until it began to hurt.

"Peach, what are you—Ow! Ow ow owwww!! Peach, sto—Ow! It—Owwww!!" Ike begged for mercy until I let go of his fingers. He snatched them back, massaging them with his other hand. He glared at me. "Are you a sadist, or what?" He flexed his fingers. "And jeez, you have quite an iron grip…" he mumbled to himself.

I smirked, inspecting my gloves for specks of dirt. Satisfied they were clean; I turned away from the mercenary and resumed hauling the plates into the kitchen.

Ike trailed after me. "A princess like no other, that one is…" he mumbled under his breath.

His comment made me smile. I was glad he couldn't see it. "I heard that, Ikey-kins." I sang in a sing-song voice. "Shall I, perhaps, twist your fingers into a pretzel?" I asked him, poisonous honey coating my words.

Ike muttered something about there being no need for that.

"Alright, whatever you say… _Ike._" I added in a fake giggle for effect. He groaned at that.

After all the plates had been dumped into the kitchen sink, I began washing them, while Ike dried them and put them away. It surprised me that Ike was actually still there with me, helping me out.

"I never did get the chance to ask you, Ike, but… why are you here?" Maybe it was rude of me to ask such a question, but my curiosity always gets the best of me.

"Don't you know, princess?" he asked, drying a plate. "I came here just for you, my only love." He looked me straight in the eye, trying to use the power of his persuasive blue spheres to sway me.

I rolled my eyes. What a joker Ike could be. "Why don't you try saying that to Samus, instead of me, you egotistical clown." I handed him a dish to dry.

Ike's eyes widened in astonishment and he almost dropped the plate I had handed him. "Wh-wh-what? But—how did you…? Uh, I-I mean—uh, what… are you talking about?" stammered the mercenary, a cute pink blush tingeing his cheeks.

I stifled a sigh, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Sure, seeing Ike stammer and blush like a geeky high school boy who was about to confess his love to the school's prettiest girl was cute and all, but, _honestly_, didn't he know how obvious he's been the past few months?

I put a slobbering, yellow rubber-gloved hand on the mercenary's shoulder. "Look, Ike, my dear, you may _think_ you've been incognito all this time," I gave him an apologetic smile. "But Ike, honey, your actions beg to differ."

Ike jumped back in surprise, his jaw going slack at my words. "WHAT?!?"

Going back to scrubbing a particularly grimy plate, I nodded my head distractedly. "Yes, my dear, it's true."

He composed himself and ran a nervous hand through his untamed hair. "But, I… I-I thought—I mean, I…I was trying to be...you know…subtle…"

I drained the sink as I passed Ike the last washed plate and turned around to face him, arms crossed. "Did you come to me just to find out something about Samus?"

He scratched his head. "Uh…"

I raised an eyebrow. "You did, didn't you?" Ike said nothing, merely looked at his own feet. I released a pent up sigh. "Ike, you can do this yourself, you know. Maybe Samus can be a _little_ intimidating, but she is still a woman. You know that right? Work your charm on her! I know you have some of that good old gentleman's appeal somewhere deep underneath your arrogance…"

Ike remained silent, but his mouth was clamped tightly shut, like he was trying not to say something. I decided to give him another piece of advice. "Also, you should really stop being such a disgraceful flirt. It's hardly cute and why would you do that in the first place if the one you like is—"

"Do you think she likes me?" he blurted out all of a sudden.

His abrupt question caught me off guard. "Pardon me?"

Ike took a deep, calming breath, running a hand through his hair again. He appeared to be very, very nervous. "I… I asked, do you think she—I mean, Samus— likes me?"

I looked into his eyes. The poor man was shaking, that was how nervous he was. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" I patted his muscular arm in a comforting manner. "The only way you'll find out if she likes you is if you tell her that you like her."

Ike let out a growl of frustration, and further mussed his already untidy hair. "Ugh… how can I do that…? I feel just like Marth in his pathetic situation…"

My ears perked up at the prince of Altea's name. "Marth?" I watched Ike scratch his ear unconcernedly. "What about Prince Marth?"

Ike spared me a sullen side glance. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" A hint of suspicion crept into his voice.

I blinked. What should I say? "Uh… I just like to know about the latest happenings of the mansion. You know that!" I put my hands on my hips. "And besides, you know you can trust me. I'm not a gossip."

"Humph. That's true," agreed Ike grudgingly.

"Soooo…" I unleashed the force of my baby blues. "Won't you tell me?" Ike grumbled something and looked away, a light pink painting his cheeks.

But then, a sudden thought flashed across his face and he grinned mischievously. He looked back at me, his devilish grin giving me something to worry about. "You _really _wanna hear about Prince Marth, don't you, princess?"

"Well, who wouldn't?" I replied honestly. Marth was the mansion's most sought after man. He was an enigma in the mansion; no one really knew too much about him. Plus, he kept to himself a lot of the time. But, he had a beautiful, pristine face and his smile was to die for. His glossy hair was such pretty navy colour and his eyes shone a dazzling azure… The few ladies present (with the exception of myself) go — pardon my crude language —"gaga" whenever he is in the same room as them. And a few male smashers even went _gay_ after just glimpsing the heartthrob (not that I'm mentioning any names or anything). So, any secret about Marth was bound to be interesting.

"Then how about we make a deal?" suggested Ike.

"A deal..." I repeated mindlessly. "What for?"

Ike's smirk scarily resembled that of a hustler's. "Well, you see, my thick-skulled princess, _I_ want to know if Samus likes me, while _you _want to know the small bit of "dirt" I have on Marth." He raised an eyebrow. "Do you see now?"

I grimaced and decided to ignore his impolite slur. "Let me guess, oh wise one, you want me to find out if Samus likes you." Ike nodded. "And then, you in turn, will tell me about Marth? Am I correct?"

"Right on the mark, my blonde princess!" He clapped me heartily on the back. "I knew there was some hope for your brain!"

My eyes narrowed.

Grinding my teeth together, I socked the stupid mercenary in the eye. "Ow!" he cried. "That hurt!" He rubbed his now bruised eye. "Jeez, what'd you do that for?!"

I ignored his rhetorical question. "I'm not a dumb blonde, Ike," I told him in a frustrated voice. "I wish you'd drop that annoying stereotype." Furious with his comment, I turned away from him, busying myself in putting away the cutlery.

Ike, realizing he had just struck a very sensitive nerve, hassled to apologize. "Princess Peach?" I ignored him. "Princess Peach?" He took my hand and turned me around to face him. "I'm sorry," he said, sincerity in his voice and eyes.

I regarded him unsympathetically. "You know I don't like those kinds of remarks." Unintentionally, a bit of hurt touched my words. _Careful Peach…_

"I know, Peach, but—"

I raised a hand, signalling that I didn't care for his reason. Ike blinked, guilt seeping into his expression. He gulped and looked pained. When guilt hits Ike, it hits him hard.

"Please, princess, forgive me!" begged Ike. "I… I'll even tell you that thing about Marth!"

I twisted my head slightly, just enough to look him in the eyes. "Go on."

Ike exhaled noisily, reluctant to let go of his bargaining item. "It's no big deal, really. Marth just… really likes this one person…"

I gasped and put a hand to my mouth. "Really?!" Ike nodded. "Wow… Prince Marth actually has feelings for someone?!" This was exciting news! Prince Marth of Altea actually _liked_ someone? "Oh my, I wonder who!? There are only three ladies in the house: Samus, Zelda and myself. I mean, there is Nana too, but unless he's a pedophile, I don't think Marth would like her… Oh my, oh my, who could it be….!!" I squealed in delight.

Ike tapped his foot, his arms were crossed and he was looking a bit dejected. I took his hand and put mine over top of it. Looking him in the eye, I told him, "Ike, I forgive you." His expression didn't change. I smiled. "You know, I'm still going to be helping you with Samus." At this, the mercenary's eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean it?" Ike asked, daring to believe it.

I laughed. "Of course, you absurd swordsman! I would've helped you anyway, no matter what!" I released his hand and winked. "You know how much I love romance."

His face broke into a wide grin. "Princess Peach! You are just about the most wonderful being I have come across in my life!" He lifted me off the ground and into a rib-crushing hug, smothering my face into his hard chest.

"Alright! Alright already, Ike!" I laughed as he released me, apologizing and brushing my dress off. "And I do believe I am the _second_ most wonderful being as I think Samus should be in the top spot, right?"

He laughed happily. "Right."

Smiling, I told Ike that he could leave and that I could handle the rest. He hesitated, but left, whistling as he went.

"Thanks Peach! You're the best!" shouted the mercenary as he turned the corner.

I waved and continued with cleaning the table. All that was left was putting away the tablecloth and candleholders.

I exhaled in relief. Finally, I could have a few moments to think about just who Prince Marth liked. I immediately ruled out myself. "It can't be me," I thought aloud, "perhaps it's Zelda or Samus. They are much more alluring…"

Folding the tablecloth, I put it away in a gold-knobbed drawer. "Although, it would mean trouble if Marth liked Samus, because Ike also likes her…" I frowned. "Complications like that wouldn't go in his favour…"

"In whose favour?"

"In Ike's favour, of course! If Marth does in fact like Samus, Samus would most likely fall for Marth…"

"But what if Marth doesn't like Samus, and instead likes someone else?"

"Hmm, that's true... but in terms of women, that leaves only Zelda…"

"What about yourself, Princess Peach? You are a woman too, are you not?"

I nodded my head absent-mindedly. "Hm, yes, yes, of course I am."

"Then couldn't he like you?"

I waved a dismissive hand in the air. "That's not possible. There would be no reason for Prince Marth like me."

"…You think so?"

"Mmhmm…" _I mean, there's really nothing of interest about me, except that I am the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom… _Just then, a sudden idea flashed through my head. I slammed my fist into the palm of my other hand. "Ah hah! I know!"

"What do you know?"

I smiled assertively. "_Obviously_, if Prince Marth doesn't like any of the female fighters, then he must be…" I clapped my hands together. "Gay!" I beamed proudly. "It all makes sense now!"

A low chuckle, sounding from somewhere in the dining room, startled me out of my thoughts. There was a swish, then… silence.

I stood there, poised in front of the gold-knobbed drawer, looking around for the person or creature that had made the noise and debated whether to take out my golf club. But nothing stirred; there was just hushed empty space.

I blinked. _I was talking to myself, right? I mean, that conversation I was just having… it was all in my head… _

…_Wasn't… it…?_

Shrugging my shoulders, I turned to grab another bunch of candlesticks, only to collide with a tall lampshade.

"Oh!" I looked up, only to observe that it was _not_ a tall lampshade I had knocked into, it was a tall…

"Sorry, did I hurt you, princess?" enquired an appealing voice.

…_Prince Marth._

Resenting myself thoroughly, I couldn't help but shudder pleasantly in response to his voice. It was feathery soft, musically seductive, yet still held a strong undertone of masculinity and… _manliness,_ for a lack of better words. This was the kind of voice that, when heard by a woman, would be replaying itself in her fantasies for the rest of her life.

Except, not my fantasies, of course.

And… I don't know if I said this before but, I would _never_ fall for Prince Marth. He's just too… too…

_perfect._

I mean, just look at the pretty boy. Perfect hair, perfect face, perfect body… The guy can make even the most civilized of girls turn into rabid wolverines just by _looking _at them.

It's ironic actually, that I wouldn't like Prince Marth just because of his flawlessness. I was raised to be the world's most _perfect _princess, yet I ended up loathing perfection in all its aspects.

Well, messed up parents just lead to messed up children, right?

"—cess? Princess Peach?" I jumped out of my thoughts, Prince Marth's beautiful eyes were peering into my own with concern.

"Oh my!" I stumbled back a few steps, disoriented by his sudden closeness. Unfortunately, I tripped on the hem of my dress and fell back. Knowing I was much too late to try and save myself, I closed my eyes and waited for the imminent hurting of my rear.

But it never came.

Turns out I had been saved by Prince Marth, who scooped me into the safety of his arms.

"Are you okay?" asked the blue-haired prince, his eyes once again shining with worry.

I sighed. _What is with guys and their disregard to personal space today…_

Determined not to be affected by his concern for me, or his snug wrap around my waist, I carefully plucked myself out of his arms. "Yes, I'm quite alright, Prince Marth." I told him, brushing off my sleeve.

"Are you sure?" Marth looked genuinely concerned for my health; his brow furrowed and he bit his lip, waiting for my reply.

I tried not to roll my eyes. "Yes Prince Marth, I'm fine," I smiled wryly. "You don't have to worry, I haven't sustained any brain damage."

He returned my smile, his eyes glowing with warmth. "That's relieving to know, Princess Peach."

I blushed, and then became furious with myself for blushing. Why did I blush? There was no reason to, I mean, sure, his concern for me was heart-warming and I couldn't believe he would even care for someone like me, but _still._ There was no logical reason for me to blush at Marth's _handsome_ face, looking at me with such _tender_ eyes, and giving me such a _dazzling_ smile.

What was it about Marth that made him so… so… can a word even describe it?

_Inviting._

Yes… Prince Marth was _very _inviting. In many different meanings, I must say.

No wonder the other ladies are so infatuated with him…

"Is it really wise to be dawdling in the middle of one's duties, dear princess?" Marth's voice whispered to me.

"Oh," I really should stop thinking so deeply while in conversation with people. Especially when the person I'm thinking about is right in front of me. "I'm sorry Prince Marth, I must have zoned out." He nodded, acknowledging my apology.

Marth inspected the dining room. Everything was clean and in its place, save for the remaining candlesticks and a bright yellow yoyo on the floor. "You've done an exemplary job on the dining room, dear princess," He smiled at me again. "Quite the well-rounded person, aren't you?"

I laughed politely. "Well, I only have two people to thank for that," I said dryly.

Marth raised an eyebrow. "Your parents, perhaps?"

I nodded and twiddled my fingers, eyes darting here and there. I didn't like discussing my parents, especially with a person whom they would have probably adored.

"Ah..." I fiddled with my hair absent-mindedly. "So, anyway... Prince Marth, what are you doing h— Oh!" I gasped in shock and raised a shaky finger at Prince Marth. "Y-You!!"

Prince Marth blinked innocently and tilted his head slightly, not understanding what I was trying to put across.

All of a sudden, I lost my nerve and previous energy. "You… you… heard… my conversation… that was supposed to be in my head…" I accused him, weakly. "In fact, I was even talking… with you…." My self-confidence drained away and was replaced by an embarrassing blush on my face. _Oh. My. Goodness._

Marth smiled supportively. "I don't mind, my lady. After all, everything you said about me was quite flattering." He chuckled softly.

I blushed harder (is that even possible?). "But… it, it was so rude of me…to assume…such things…" I whispered to myself.

Something soft and warm grabbed my hand. It was a hand. Marth's hand. He looked at me, kindness in his eyes. "You were merely doing some logical thinking. There's nothing wrong with that. Perhaps the only drawback was that you had the misfortune to think that you were discussing your ideas in your head, rather than out loud, where others could hear."

For some reason, his words were very reassuring to me. And his hand holding mine… was very comforting.

I never knew that someone who could look so cold, could be so _warm._

_Hey Peach! Get a hold of yourself! You can't be entranced by this lady-killer of a prince!_

I blinked. That's right, I can't.

Marth playfully toyed with my fingertips and cleared his throat. "But there is one thing that I must make clear to you, princess." He brought my hand close to his lips, his sweet breath gently rolling over it, tantalizing it by neither kissing it nor withdrawing his grip. "I…" he looked up at me through his long lashes, with some sort of meaning in his eyes.

I felt my heart skip a beat. He looked so… so… attractive. Bent over, with his lips hovering right over the skin of my hand, looking up at me through his long, feminine eyelashes… His handsome face… His clear, azure eyes… _No! Don't fall for it!_

But I was. Falling for it, whatever it was.

Suddenly, the confidence in his face appeared to falter. "I…" he started again. _What? What is it? _I had the urge to say. _Spit it out!_

"…am not gay."

…

…

Oh.

Withdrawing my hand from his, I shrugged and feigned indifference. "That's… nice." Why was I feeling so… discontent?

He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, as if weighing my response. Then he smiled, albeit, a bit strained. "Well, then…" He flourished a hand towards the rest of the dining room. "It seems that you are done your duties."

"Oh… it seems so." My face fell a little, lips parting and eyes falling downward. Why was I so sad that my chores were done?

I laced my fingers together. He brushed his hair out of his face. Though there was complete silence in the air, I could hear a pressuring buzz around my ears.

"Then… I shall be off." Marth turned and began to walk away.

_No, leaving so soon?_ Despaired one voice in my head. Another seemed to shout in glee. _Yes! That player is leaving! _

But… I couldn't… I couldn't just have him leave! "…Wait!!"

Marth turned back to face me, an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"What—uh… why… I mean, what, brought you to the kitchen… at this time of night?" I asked lamely.

The prince seemed a bit let down with my choice of question, his eyes visibly seemed to dim in disappointment.

Marth gave me a dry smile. "I was merely passing by, Princess Peach. There was no _special_ reason." He put a distinct inflection on the word 'special.'

I nodded and let him pass by me to the door. Somehow, I felt frustrated to let him go so easily. I didn't want him to go just like that. He hadn't explained anything to me. Like how he had snuck into the dining room so quietly.

As he went past, the handsome prince brushed my shoulder gently. It was unnecessary contact as there was a lot of space around me to get to the door.

Some part of me wanted to believe it had meaning to it, his gentle brush.

_Wait! Just what am I thinking? _

But, without another word, without a glance back, the Altean prince left the room, his silky cape swirling behind him.

…_Nothing. I'm thinking nothing._

* * *

**A/N:** Glad you read that all xD

Personally, I don't really like the way I ended this chapter. It felt a bit rushed... In fact, it went in a totally different direction than I expected...  
Oh well :D

Argh... I tried hard to make Marth seem handsome, and intelligent, and seductive... basically, I wanted him to turn out subtly sexy. :P Kind of like Edward Cullen (the one who I imagined in the book, not in the movie _*cough*_**hideous**_*cough*),_ but better :D

I also want him to be a bit of the 'player' type (because I adore how players eventually get 'tamed' by the woman they like~~). However, it's going to be a bit difficult since there are only three eligible women in Brawl...

On another note, I plan to intergrate more of Peach's past into the next chapters, hopefully by having her go through situations which remind her of her parents and her rather depressing childhood.  
And, this story is going a bit slow... But it will pick up! Eventually...

Hope I didn't bore you with this long of a chapter...

And, I really hope I captivated some more readers, too! I really like reviews! Not only do they help me improve my writing, but they are really great anti-depressants!  
Not that I'm depressed or anything xD

If there is something you don't understand in the story, don't hesitate to message me, or whatever it's called xD I will gladly clear your confusion :D

Anyway, I'll try to update sooner. In the meantime, you can do me a favour and review!~


	3. The Bedroom Visit and a Narcissist

I'm such a horrid person D:

I'm sorry, so very sorry for such a long delay :(

Please forgive me (again)! I hope you all will be placated with this chapter… ._.

Also, I just want to thank you all for supporting me, and for the kind encouragement you all gave me!  
Thank you~

* * *

Looking out the window of my bedroom, I saw that the pure white moon was already shining in full swing. Stars littered the rest of the soft black sky, some trying their best to outshine the moon. But they were unsuccessful; only the unique radiance and unadulterated beauty of the moon could hold the attention of the celestial ballroom and intruding spectators, such as myself.

It was two nights ago. Two nights ago that I had that chance encounter with Prince Marth in the dining room. Two nights ago, and still nothing was different. Not that anything _should _be different; it's just… that meeting seemed significant. To me, at least.

I mean, it's not like I suffered an epiphany and suddenly know what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, but… somehow… that small talk with Marth… feels…

…kind of special in my heart.

Don't take it the wrong way though. Like I've said before, I will —for sure— _never _have feelings for him. It's just… I've never gotten the chance to speak with Prince Marth alone, that's all. People can be very different when there isn't a crowd around them, and, it was simply a pleasant surprise to know that Marth was still quite a gentleman even while not being watched. That's all there is to it.

However…

…I have been thinking of him rather differently, as of late. I've been having such strange thoughts. Never before have I experienced such thoughts and they do the strangest things to my heart. Like, they seem to make it speed up, and… I always feel so oddly elated when I think about him. I wonder if I'm coming down with an illness…

Hmm… I sighed. What should I do? These thoughts about him are a bit troubling. I'm not too sure how to deal with this…

I jolted upright on my bed as a sudden soft knocking pierced the heavy silence in my room and totally _scared _me out of my thoughts. Heart beating frantically and thoughts scattering, going this way and that, I waited for another set of knocks. In that pause, I felt something odd about my face. Touching a hand to my cheek, I noticed that it was warm, very warm.

…I was blushing.

Noticing that I was blushing only caused me to blush harder. Why was I blushing? Why? I mean, it's not like I was thinking pervertedly, was I? Was I? Or do I just feel embarrassed of my thoughts about Marth? Well, there's nothing _wrong_ with them, is there? I mean, they're just thoughts, nothing more. It's… It's not like I… _have feelings_ for that prince. Never! I was just thinking about him! There's nothing wrong with that! I mean, I think of my dear friend Samus many times, along with that fool, Ike. But it doesn't mean I _like_ them! Not at all! No sir-ee!

Another series of quick raps on my door once again shook me out of the safety of my mind. This time, the knocks were followed by a whispering voice. "Princess Peach, it's me!"

"Me, who?" I asked quietly, as to not wake up Yoshi and Link, both residing (and sleeping soundly) in the rooms to the left and right of mine, respectively. I genuinely did not know who it was. The clock told me midnight was approaching in another half hour, and no one's ever visited me so late.

Was it Marth? I felt my heart skip a beat at the thought, butterflies fluttered pleasantly in my stomach. _No, it couldn't be him,_ I immediately reasoned, squelching the small bit of hope that grew. _There's no purpose for him to be here._

But then another thought, spurred from the non-believer, popped out. _What if he wanted to see you?_

That thought was crushed when the person replied with a cocky and falsely sweet, "It's me, Peachy! Ike, your honey!"

I clenched my jaw.

Ike. What in HEAVEN'S NAME was he doing here!? That annoying little…! Getting my hopes up just like that!! I just might hurt him…

But before I could think of the various ways to immensely torture the irritatingly arrogant mercenary, said mercenary barged into my room uninvited.

"Oh, well, what do you know!" He grinned roguishly, his hand still on the doorknob. "The door was unlocked!"

I hissed at him with displeasure. He smirked and pinched my cheek, bringing his face down to mine. "You don't look so cute with that face on, Peachy," he inspected my face for another second. "No, you definitely do not." He concluded with a cheeky grin, nimbly dodging the slap I had directed at his face.

"Ike!" I yelled, though I immediately covered my mouth as I had shouted quite loud. In a quieter voice, I continued. "Ike! Get out of my room!"

He just stood there, staring at me with a satisfied grin on his face, like he was seeing something no one else had ever seen before. Self-conscious, I looked down at my body. There didn't appear to be anything wrong, I was wearing a nice pink silk nightgown, and nothing _seemed_ to be exposed…

Ike saw my puzzled look, and chuckled, still grinning that annoyingly satisfied grin. I really had the urge to knock the lights out of him. "Don't worry, princess, you look fine. Really fine," he said, apparently trying to reassure me. "In fact, I was admiring just how _fine _you look. And especially how _well_ your nightgown suits you, that's all." He looked me over again, that arrogant grin ever present.

I turned red from head to toe. Then, I punched him in the guts. A satisfying whoosh of breath escaped his lungs and a rather pained expression flashed across his face.

Ah… revenge could be so sweet.

I was so absorbed in my moment of victory, that I didn't notice Ike suddenly retaliate by grabbing my arm in a grip of iron. He then tried to forcibly pull me down.

I automatically reached for my frying pan, but found air instead. Ike grinned at my confused face. A bit panicked, I raised my free arm and tried to slap the mercenary in the face. My attempt failed miserably as Ike easily caught my hand in his. "You've got to be faster than that, princess," he whispered into my ear and smirked. His smile only widened as he dragged me down onto my bed, which seemed to be conveniently there for him to land me on.

I took a fraction of a second to analyze my situation. So, I was currently in my room… on my bed… _pinned_ underneath Ike.

Not such a pleasant situation, I think.

Since I could not fight back without someway of making an ugly hole in my lovely walls and having Ike fly through a bunch of rooms, I calmed myself down, and decided I would ask _why_ Ike was being so horribly ill-mannered.

"Okay, Ike, you win for today. Now please…" I said as coolly as I possibly could, anger boiling in the back of my head. "Get _off_ of me." I seethed through clenched teeth.

Ike smiled at me in a way that was meant to be seductive. "And why should I? I'm just getting comfortable…" he purred.

Ike purring is quite scary indeed. Scary, and _disturbing_ too. "Ew, Ike! Don't say such things!" I scolded him with a disgusted look while trying to slip out of his grip.

I was about to chide him some more, but something changed in Ike's expression just then. He was no longer joking, or teasing around. His eyes looked so serious about something, and yet they seemed so confused at the same time.

But most of all, he looked like a lost man. He looked like he didn't know what to do. "Ike…" I said gently. "Ike, what's wrong?" _And if the reason's good enough, I might just forgive you for doing such a thing._

It was then that Ike released me from my unpleasant position underneath him. He sat up right, his back towards me, legs planted on the plush white carpet of my room. Obviously, what he was going to say was something quite difficult to get out.

"…Peach… you know I think of you as a sister, right?"

"Um, sure I do…" I was confused. What in the world was he trying to say? "What's your point?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to clear up any, um… _misunderstanding_ between us…" Ike said hesitantly. I could just _tell_ he was blushing, even though I couldn't see his face.

I sighed tiredly. "Ike, you know, the only one who causes a misunderstanding between us is you…"

He turned around to face me. "Well, yeah but—… Oh, you're right." He blinked his eyes in wonder, as if just realizing it.

Jeez, this guy could be so dense sometimes… "If I may ask, Ike, but just _why_ did you attack me like that? It's very rude and quite unsettling. Had it been anyone else but you, you would be dead right now!" I reprimanded him, previous anger once again flaring up. "In fact, I _really _want to strangle you right now…"

Ike just shrugged. "I like creating tension between us. Besides," he grinned at me. "Your reactions are very entertaining." He winked.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, displeasure and frustration continuing to build up inside me. "It may be amusing to you, Ike, but you really trouble me sometimes… Please, try not to act on your whims all the time."

Ike looked at me solemnly, silently conveying the message that he would at least _try._ "Actually, Peach, I came here to talk about something... something that's been troubling me for the past couple days…"

_Ahh… I get it now… _I stretched myself out on my bed, got comfortable, and put my legs onto Ike's lap. "Is it about Samus, dear Ike?"

The mercenary blushed painfully. "Y-y…" He cleared his throat and said confidently, "Yes, it's about Samus."

My eyes softened; my heart had already forgiven Ike long ago for his sudden attack on me. My forgiving nature baffles even me sometimes… Or maybe it's just because I consider Ike to be such a close friend of mine.

I nudged him with my toe. "Well, go on. Spit it out, Ike." I smiled reassuringly.

Ike gulped, and then looked at me, hesitant to continue. "You can trust me, Ike. I swear it."

He sighed, and ruffled his hair, a habit of his when he gets nervous. "Well… you see…. I… I tried talking to her the other day, and…" he paused, a bit flustered.

"And…?" I enquired when he did not continue.

He scratched the back of his head, blushing madly. "And… I made a total fool of myself…" This being said, he looked down, sad and embarrassed. "I was only trying to say 'hi' but I ended up… ended up prattling on about _body armour…_Body armour!" He repeated painfully. "Of all things, why _body armour_?!?" He put his face in his hands.

I felt my heart twinge a bit in sympathy for Ike. Getting into a cross-legged position, I gently patted his shoulder. "Oh, Ike…" I comforted him. He looked up shyly and I met his eyes and smiled warmly. "It's alright. We all do embarrassing things once in a while. And I'm sure she'll forget about it!"

Ike then averted his gaze. "Maybe… But, Peach…" He reburied his face into his hands, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I'm… I'm just not good at these things… things like 'romance' and 'love'… I can't….I-I've never… been in such a predicament before…"

_Well, Ike, my dear, I haven't either. _

Judging by the slump of his shoulders, Ike, it seemed, was giving up. A small fire lit into my eyes, and I proceeded to give the mercenary a noogie.

"Ah! Hey, Peach!" Fussed Ike, clawing at my hands. "What are you doing? Stop that!"

I stopped, and then slapped my hands onto the sides of his face, so I was holding it in my hands. "The Ike I know would _never_ give up just because his first attempt failed!" I told him aggressively. "He would keep on going, no matter what, until he reached his goal." I paused, and took the moment to search his eyes. They held confusion, a whole lot of sadness, but still a _tiny_ glimmer of hope. That would be enough; all I had to do was feed it.

"And you know what?" Ike stared at me, questioningly, as I continued. "He _always_ reached his goal." I smiled, and kissed his forehead as a blessing to him.

He stared at me, astonished. Then, he hugged me fiercely. "I'm never letting you go, Peachy," he warned into my ear. "Never." And so, he kept his hands wrapped around me.

I'm not usually hugged by men; in fact, I think I've only ever let Ike hug me. Though, I wouldn't mind if Prince Marth wrapped his arms around me…

_Peach! Just what nonsense are you thinking?!_

I pushed Ike away from me, startled by my own thoughts. Ike looked surprised, and a little hurt too. I exhaled, and smiled at Ike, masking my confusion and embarrassment. "You _have_ to let go of me, Ike." He opened his mouth to speak, but I continued. "How can you catch a beautiful butterfly if your net has a dirty stone in it?"

Ike paused to contemplate this, then he blushed for some reason. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Did I say something wrong?

It seems I did say something wrong, for Ike tripped over his own tongue to clear something up. "Wait, Peach, what you just said has two meanings to it—" He paused, seeming unable to continue. I stared at him inquisitively.

"Two meanings?" I repeated, a bit confused. "All I meant was that you can't be hanging on to me if you want to go after Samus."

"That's it!" Ike whisper-shouted. "Th-the way you said it… it just… it just sounded like… you thought I… I…— Oh never mind…"

I pinched his arm. He let out a satisfying "Ow!" of pain. "Oh, Ike, now you _have_ to tell me!" I pressured him. He turned away and stood up, not facing me. "Come on, Ike! Complete the sentence, would you?"

"No," he said wearily. He looked back at me, and just then could I see the fatigue on his face. "I'm really tired, Peach. I think I'll turn in now." He bent forward and we looked each other in the eye. "Thanks for the encouragement… _princess,_" he said with his former cockiness, his arrogant grin coming back to life.

I jabbed a finger forward, meaning to stab him in the eye. But it seemed he wasn't quite as tired as he claimed to be, as he nimbly dodged it, got up, and sent me a flying kiss as he walked out the door a split second later.

It baffles me sometimes, how Ike and I became good friends. Maybe it was because we were so different from each other, yet so similar at the same time. Though, I don't really know how.

It also appears I might have to do something in order to get Ike together with Samus...

I looked at the clock. Half-past twelve. Maybe it's time to sleep; otherwise, I won't be able to wake up in the morning. I switched the lights off, and flumped into my bed, letting sleep overtake me immediately.

* * *

"Zelda, would you please stop staring at yourself in the mirror?" I asked her, irritated.

My Hylian companion didn't reply. She just continued to look at herself, checking her face at every angle imaginable for any possible blemishes on her pristine face. Actually, it was more conceivable that she was currently sighing inwardly at her flawless beauty.

I sighed, irked once again by her narcissistic behaviour. It was a little known fact, but Princess Zelda of Hyrule was a major closet-narcissist. She tries her best to hide it in public, but she usually just can't seem to stop staring at herself when she sees her reflection in the mirror. We —Samus and I— try our very best to direct Zelda _away_ from any place that may hold mirrors whenever possible.

However, sometimes going to the bathroom is just unavoidable…

"Oh, give me some more time, Peach," hushed the other princess. "Very so rarely, do I get the chance to see this _beautiful,_ _enchanting, _and absolutely _enthralling_ visage," cooed Zelda, stroking her face lovingly. "Oh, my… I think I… I just might _faint_ at my stunning beauty…"

I stared at her, mouth wide open, aghast with her behaviour. It's really hard to watch such a majestic princess coo at herself without twitching an eye muscle.

Though she looked so serene and perfect on the outside, she was truly something different on the inside. Not all princesses are what they seem, especially her… And me, too, I suppose…

Though I am glad I wasn't born a narcissist. I'm _very_ glad. In fact, I should be grateful that such a horrid condition never cursed itself upon me—

"Peach!" Zelda exclaimed, surprise lifting her words. "Is that a… a blemish?!?" She scrutinized her left cheek, pressing her forehead up against the bathroom mirror. A moment later, she withdrew and screamed staggeringly. "OH MY GOD, IT IS!!" The Hylian princess then began to poke at the aforementioned blemish. "Why you horrid thing…" she mumbled to her zit. "If you weren't attached to this beautiful face of mine, I'd send the wrath of the goddesses upon you!" She continued to curse at her boil, poking it while doing so.

I sighed and grabbed Zelda's hand. "Zelda, don't poke at it, you'll only make it worse," I told her while taking some makeup out of her bag. "Now… I'm pretty sure you can use these things to cover it up, right?" I asked her, holding up some pencils in my hand. "I really do wonder though… The only bit of make-up that I am familiar with is lipstick! How can you use so many different tools just on your face?"

Zelda ignored my question and snatched her makeup from my hands. She then hurriedly, yet carefully, covered up the blemish. It was quite expertly done, I must say. I couldn't even tell where it originally was!

I watched our reflections in the mirror, Zelda once again fawning at herself, and me looking curiously back into my own eyes. Zelda and I were quite different looking. I was… well, sort of childish looking, like I was meant to appeal to children, while Zelda was the definition of an endearing, graceful young woman. She definitely had the face that was meant to charm grown men. Zelda looked so attractive, with her elf-like features. If only she wasn't so self-absorbed, she would be the most perfect princess…

"_Aha ha hah!"_

My head snapped up. Frantically, my eyes searched for the owner of that laugh.

"Princess Peach, are you feeling alright?" Princess Zelda looked at me quizzically, obviously wondering why I had so suddenly panicked like that.

I let my tense shoulders relax. "Oh, it's nothing of concern, Zelda," I assured her. "I just thought… I heard… his laugh…" I murmured to myself.

_Father's laugh._ What a cruel sound it was.

Zelda peered at me suspiciously for a few moments, until a playful smile graced her face. "_His_ laugh, you say?" Zelda said teasingly, but with curiosity in her voice. "And to what handsome young man does this "voice" belong to, my dear Peach?" asked Zelda, eyebrows raised.

_Handsome? Hardly. _"No, Princess Zelda, it's not something like _that_, I—"

"Oh, like I'd fall for that, Peach," cut in Zelda, rolling her eyes. "Just tell me whose voice you're clearly hearing in your head!"

"But it's not like that—"

"Oooh! Is it one of the tournament participants?"

I began to blush, for a certain male's face popped right into my mind at her words.

The Hylian princess saw my blush and squealed in pure feminine delight. "Oh, Peach, you just _have_ to tell me!" She grabbed both of my hands and clasped them together. "Come on, Peach! You can tell me! We always share these sorts of things, right?" She smiled warmly. Even though Zelda was very self-centred, she could be quite a great friend, too. And she is most certainly a great woman; I mean, it takes a lot of effort to hide that much self-obsession constantly from the general public.

I blushed even more. I could now vividly see the person's face in my head, and it was not helping.

Trying to find something calming to focus on, I stared at the bathroom's navy tiles.

_Just like the colour of his hair…_

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of him (and his hair). _Oh no! What kind of reaction is that?_

I cleared my throat, yet my voice slightly trembled. "Z-Zelda, you have clearly mistaken me… I could not harbour such sort of thoughts for anyone…" I tripped over my words out of embarrassment. Why was his face still lingering in my mind? This is absurd! Such thoughts are so strange…

Zelda took a step back and inspected my blushing face and my hunched figure. "Princess Peach…" she started slowly, carefully, as if trying not to scare me off. She looked at me curiously. "Have you… ever been in love?"

I blinked at the word 'love'. Have I ever been… in love? That was the question, wasn't it?

"Have I ever been in love…" I trailed off. I scratched my head, and thought about it for a moment.. "No."

"No, no, no, no, Princess Peach!" Zelda stared at me, aghast. "You… you've never been in _love?_!" She took a step back, seeming to be shocked beyond belief. "You claim to be such a romantic… and, not to mention, you are a _highly_ successful matchmaker, yet… you've never even been in _love_?!"

"Well, I suppose that's true."

Zelda just sighed.

Love… I have wished to be in love with someone before, but I've yet to experience it… And, what exactly is it? The feeling of being in love? I don't really believe it to be anything similar to what I have read and seen in the media. There has been no accurate representation, at least in my opinion, of what love is. I'm sure it _is_ a lovely feeling that causes your heart to react, but, I also don't believe it can happen all at once. I don't believe that a person can suddenly fall in love, which is what I see in books. Love is supposed to come gradually, over years of time, and…

Zelda watched me fall into deep thought. She sighed and then pulled my arm, leading us to the exit. "Come on, let's go. Love can be a bit tough to grasp if you've never felt it before." That being said, she looked over herself once more, smiled happily at her beauty, and then flew out the bathroom door, towing me along.

"Let's go find Samus, shall we?" Zelda looked at me for a confirmation.

I nodded silently in acceptance. Perhaps I could subtly put in a few good words about Ike while we were there. "Of course, but what will we be doing?"

The Hylian princess grinned. "I was thinking of arranging a night out. A women's night out. What do you think? Sounds great, doesn't it?"

I thought about it for a second. It was quite unusual for Zelda to arrange these things, or even bring them up, since that was usually what I did.

When I did not reply (because I was busy thinking), Zelda continued, as if to explain. "Well, we've all been rather busy as of late, with the annual tournament coming up. Not to mention, we all have our own _personal_ problems that seem to consume a chunk of our lives… So, I thought why not take a small break from it all? Go to a grand party! Or a "club", as it is known in this universe," Zelda looked at me again, this time with a bit of uncertainty. "Is it not a good idea, Princess Peach?"

I smiled reassuringly. "It _is_ a good idea, Zelda! I was just… contemplating the strangeness of you bringing up such a thing first!"

She laughed at that. "Oh, that's alright, then." We smiled at each other and headed towards Samus's room.

Silence wafted into the hallway; only the _clack clack clack_ of our heels stabbing the hardwood floor could be heard. Sunlight pierced through the chapel-like stained glass windows, kissing our skin with light and warmth. We were about to turn the corner, but Zelda stopped just before the turn. She narrowed her eyes and appeared to be concentrating on something. Then her eyes widened suddenly, and she pulled me into a nearby alcove.

I opened my mouth in protest, only to have it clamped shut by Zelda's delicate, gloved hand. I glanced at her for an answer. She leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "I hear footsteps."

I tilted my head to one side quizzically, my eyebrows raised in puzzlement. _Why are we hiding though?_

Zelda seemed to have something else in mind because she then whispered, "And those footsteps… they belong to…" she took a small pause, as if trying to control her excitement. "Prince Marth!" She all but squealed.

My mind blanked for a moment. The words "Prince Marth" seemed to have stumped me. Or at least, stopped my brain from functioning.

I scrambled to remove Zelda's clamp over my mouth. "But, why are we hiding from Pr… Pr…" I blinked. My lips just didn't want to say his name. "…_Him?_"

To my very surprise, Princess Zelda _blushed_. That's right; she _blushed._

"W-well… it's a long story…" she whispered reluctantly.

…_What? _

_Prince Marth and Zelda have a history?_

"Tell me, Zelda!" I whispered urgently. I really wanted to know what it was, that was between them. Or at least, why Princess Zelda blushed. Oh, and why she wants to hide from Prince Marth. That answer is also quite necessary.

Zelda twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "I… I'd rather not say," she whispered shyly, suggesting that, quite contrary to what she said, she in fact _did _want to say. Not to mention she was blushing profusely.

I was about to force the whole story out of her, but before I could even wrap my hands around her neck, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

Turning around, my heart lurched forward as I found myself face to face with none other than _him._ Prince Marth.

He looked at me, or should I say, _us_, with curiosity. "Princess…es?" He seemed at a loss for words. "… What are you doing?"

I could feel my jaw slowly unhinge. Marth was looking impeccably handsome, as usual. I couldn't help but admire his beauty for a fraction of a second. Thus, I was in no state to answer Prince Marth coherently, since my thoughts themselves were once again scattered all over the place because of him.

Zelda, however, metaphorically tripped over the hem of her dress to initiate conversation with Prince Marth.

"Prince Marth!" She burst out excitedly, her face still tinged red. "How lovely to see you!!" She squeaked with delight.

Marth smiled that heart-racing smile of his. I noted it was directed at Zelda. "Likewise, dearest princess."

Zelda blushed some more. Nervous, she twirled a lock of her smooth brown hair. Though it was probably unintentional, the move was rather flirtatious.

I felt something twist anxiously inside my body. It… It was not a pleasant feeling. I looked at both Zelda and Marth. Standing together, they seemed to belong to each other. They seemed to match. Like they were meant to be…

_Prince Marth._

_Zelda._

_Prince Marth… Zelda…_

_Prince Marth… and Zelda…_

…_together…?_

…That twisting sensation in the pit of my stomach became stronger, and more unpleasant. Was there a snake inside my stomach? I don't recall ever having eating a snake in my life…

Also, for some reason, I had the uncontrollable urge to tell Zelda to get away from Prince Marth. Why was that? Perhaps my subconscious is somehow alerting me of imminent danger? No… Prince Marth is an honourable man, and I have heard only good things about him and his kingdom…

So why, then? Why did I want Zelda to get away from Prince Marth? There must be some deeper meaning to these feelings… Oh, if only I _knew…_

_Love._

Whoa! Where'd _that_ word come from? Love? It can't be love! That's illogical! Love is something that happens gradually, over a long amount of time. As I've probably stated before, it's not something that can be felt immediately!

What I mean is, that encounter with Marth in the dining room a couple of nights ago was perhaps one of the very few times I have actually ever made direct _contact_ with Marth. Plus, I never gave him a second thought before! Well… I mean, I did _wonder_ what kind of person he was ever since the day I met him a couple of years back. But that was mere _wonder._ It's not like I wanted to know _everything_ about him!

I really doubt I fell in… in _love_ with Prince Marth. It wouldn't make sense if I did. As I have already said, love is a gradual thing, right? So it would take at least, from what I think, a year to fall in love with someone. Therefore, I can NOT be in love with Prince Marth.

After all, there's no such thing as love at first.

"… _did you and father fall in love at first sight?"_

"_Us? Love at first sight?" She laughed cruelly for some reason. Then she leaned down and pinched my childish, chubby cheeks hurtfully. "Love at first sight doesn't _exist_ in the real world, daughter. Leave it for the fairytales." Her expression turned bitter as she inspected my face; there was some hate in her eyes. "And never, _ever_, expect such a thing to happen to you. _Especially_ you."_

"…Ahh, she's at it again." Laughter. "Wandering off into her own world. And with such lovely company, too!" A masculine voice...

More laughter. "Well, that's my darling Princess Peach for you!" A feminine voice…

Zelda… and Prince Marth…

Someone tapped my shoulder. "…Princess Peach?"

…

I sighed internally. Looks like I did it again.

I looked Zelda in the eye as she was the one who had "awoken" me. "I apologize for my impoliteness, Zelda…. Prince Marth," I said with a tight smile. It felt weird to say his name.

"No problem!" Zelda said happily. She was absolutely _glowing_ with joy. Looks like she was having _quite_ the conversation with Marth.

Acting like his usual courteous self, Prince Marth bowed slightly. "Apology accepted, dear lady." He looked up at me through his navy-blue bangs, his pretty eyes _sparkling_ wondrously with life. "And I believe we didn't greet each other properly. In any case, it's good to see you too, Princess Peach." He smiled at me, as if he was happy just to see my face.

I was about to stutter and blurt out a couple of words, but—thankfully—restrained myself. Instead, I nodded, and smiled politely.

"Anyway, Princess Peach," Zelda hasted to say. "Prince Marth and I were just discussing how lovely the weather was. And, I thought, well, since it's so nice out, why don't we all go for a nice, light stroll in the garden! It would be good for our bodies to get some clean fresh air, don't you think?"

"But I thought—" _we were going to see Samus, _was what I was going to say, before I saw Zelda looking at me with such pleading eyes, as if she just _had_ to go on a stroll with Prince Marth.

"Oh… that's sounds good, then." It didn't really. "But… I'm a bit busy…" I wasn't. "So… why don't you two go on ahead without me? I'm sure it will be just as enjoyable!"

Zelda looked surprised, but content. "W-well, that's just unfortunate, Princess Peach," she said as solemnly as she could. Her eyes betrayed her words, though; she was clearly pleased by the fact that she could have the chance to be alone with Prince Marth.

"Yes," echoed Marth, wistfully. "Quite the misfortune, indeed…" He eyed me curiously, as if he knew half the story.

Truthfully, I really wanted to go with them, but I had already said those words… "Then, I shall be off. Have a lovely afternoon, you two!" I managed to say cheerfully. I walked away from the well-suited couple. It took a notable amount of willpower to turn my back on Prince Marth and Zelda, but I did it.

"So, Prince Marth, we should get going, shouldn't we?" I heard Zelda ask with restrained excitement as I walked farther away from them.

There was a tiny, almost non-existent pause before Marth answered her. If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't have noticed.

"Of course, my lady."

Then again, maybe I was imagining things.

* * *

So, there you have chapter 3 of Prim and Proper. Hope you enjoyed it :D

Oh yeah, just to explain how Zelda knew the footsteps belonged Marth. Well, I've always thought Zelda could feel a person's presence (and as you know, everyone has a distinctly different presence). This being said, she would be able to identify the presences of the people close to her. Since Marth isn't exactly close to her, I'm sure Zelda just did her best to memorize the feeling of Marth's presence. So, yeah, hope that made sense :3

And, I'm really sorry about the three, four, five month delay. School just got really hectic, and even now, in summer, I'm really busy with _summer school_… so, I deeply apologize! ('Cause I know how it feels to wait for a story too) I was really hoping not to make you guys suffer through that agonizing pain, but looks like I did :(

Hope you can forgive me for that…

Well, until next time! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Bye!

(And why don't you leave me a nice treat too, hm?) :]


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